My Brown Eyed Girl
by fridamoonbeam
Summary: A new chapter of life begins after Shelby gives birth to her and Derek's daughter. Mostly Derek focused featuring Shelby, Tom and Rachel


(Thank you for the Nice comments about Seasons of Love, I promise to update it soon. In the mean time I hope this satisfies your CoWills love (Corcoran+Wills= CoWills)

Derek pressed his lips to Shelby's forehead as she drifted off for a much needed rest, moving a lock of dark hair from her face. The seventeen hour labor looked horrifying and exhausting, he felt only a fraction of that pain when she squeezed the blood out of his hand while she was contracting. Derek mused it would be numb for a while. A small price to pay, he wouldn't have been able to go through something so hard, he knew it. But Shelby had so much endurance, and she was so strong. That's one of the things that drew him toward her to begin with was her independence, and the way she would put so much of her heart into things, even when she didn't realize it.

They left things badly, especially on his part. Life was beginning to crumble and he was trying to keep afloat and he was becoming a very hard man to be around. If she didn't return he was not sure what kind of person he would turn into. Derek just recently found out about his own father's true _preference_, and it angered him. All the lies and the deceit, making a complete sham of their family, and another challenge he was going to face for the rest of his life because of it...

Twenty-three wasn't exceptionally young to father a child, but never in his entire life had Derek felt so overwhelmed. He stood there looking at the sleeping baby girl in her clear plastic crib, with a little hospital bracelet that read "Baby Wills". He was grateful Shelby even allowed it to happen, he was even more grateful she came back to him after their fall out instead of going through with her plan. Shelby's intention when she left was to give their daughter up for private adoption to two men in Ohio, claiming one of them as the biological father. She had only been back for the last six weeks, but he was much happier finding this out now as opposed to years later, if he had found out at all.

Tom lightly knocked on the door and entered once he saw Derek nod, he came in, and approached the crib, smiling. "She's beautiful." he noticed looking at the resting girl, while holding a basket that was a big explosion of pink. When he heard Shelby had their baby Tom came as fast as he could, after making a stop by a little baby boutique on 7th.

Derek looked over and saw Tom and his gift for the baby, feeling even worse for how he had been lashing out. He had been a complete git to the man, and Tom was only supportive. In retrospect, it was just insane, Derek would know... "She is, she looks so much like Shelby." he replied still looking at the little girl, with her lips sweetly puckered, which looked like she was about to kiss, Derek smiled.

"Speaking of the mother; How is she doing?" Tom said glancing to over at her.

"She's wonderful. I mean, it was a bloody, horrible, disgusting mess, but she was incredible the entire time." Derek turned his eyes away from her for a moment looking to Tom. "Thank you for coming. And... I'm sorry for how I've been behaving and how I've been treating you. You deserve much better than that, I've been an ass."

"I know." Tom said nodding in agreement, with a sarcastic half smirk. Tom had a way of mixing the seriousness of a situation with a light humor. "But I talked to Shelby and she told me all that's happened, and I understand why you acted out... Let me just say I'm sorry too for what's happening."

"Please don't. Just don't, Tom." was all Derek requested, looking at the other man with a silent plead

Tom nodded seeing Derek didn't want to talk further about it, finding it understandable why, so he moved on. "Here's for your buddle joy." he handed him the basket fit for a princess, the best part was easily the pink blanket covered in gold stars.

Before Derek could thank Tom the little girl decided to interrupt and began to cry like she was born hours ago. Derek looked stunned, like someone was pointing a gun in his face.

Tom raised a brow at him. "Derek... are you going to pick up your daughter?"

Derek shook his head. "No."

"What's wrong?" Tom questioned perplexed trying to talk over the crying baby.

"I've... I've never held a baby. or, have really been around a baby before..." Derek said thinking it must have seemed ridiculous, but he was an only child, with no aunts or really women around him with children.

"Help is on the way, Love." Shelby smirked, with sleepy eyes and rang for a nurse to give Derek a hand. "Tom, you better get over here and give me a hug."

"Of course, Beautiful." Tom said all to happy to comply to Shelby's demand.

The nurse entered seeing the frazzled young man standing by the infant, and smiled nodding "New father?"

"Very new." Shelby added smiling, after receiving her hug from Tom.

The nurse just smiled and turned back to Derek "Sit down and I'll hand her to you."

Derek did as he was told and took the little girl into his arms, it was awkward at first since he held her as if she was made of glass and any false move would shatter her.

"You can relax a little." the nurse suggested.

Derek forced himself to breathe and looked down at her. She was so pretty, a few hours ago she was this screaming, red,wrinkly thing. But he really could see Shelby in her, she had dark wispy curls, and big brown eyes that made her look like a fawn. He was now going to play a big part of her life, and he was going to teach her how to live. Every thought of what possibly could happened overwhelmed him more, if it was possible. Of all the girls he came across in his life, this was the first one he could honestly say he loved almost instantly. He squeezed her little hand and it felt a bit cold, or at least to him she did. "Is there another blanket for her?"

Tom handed him the pink blanket with the gold stars, velvet to the touch, and as carefully as he could draped it over the baby.

"Tom, I love that blanket, its so pretty." Shelby sighed looking at the two of them

"I saw the gold stars and thought of you right away." Tom said happy his gift was liked so well.

Shelby laughed at how cautious Derek was being. "Why do I see you wrapping her in bubble paper?"

"It may come to that." Derek replied, not ruling out the idea.

"You're not going to be one of those psycho dads who chases all their daughter's dates away, are you?" Tom questioned.

"No, it _will_ come to that." Derek said VERY comfortable with that idea, "For now I just want to enjoy her this way while I can."

Shelby smiled at him, carefully getting out of bed to sit with her small family, greeted by Derek arm. His hand found her bottom. She gave him a look, "Oh don't do that right now, I feel gross."

"Feels nice to me..." Derek teased her.

"If you weren't holding our baby, I would smack you." Shelby twisted her brows and rolled her eyes.

"All the more reason to let her keep sleeping..." Derek looked up at her. She was gone for nearly a year, there wasn't a chance she was going so easily again.

"And I'm still standing here. Derek, seriously..." Tom interjected.

"I can't help it, she does this to me." Derek said playfully blaming Shelby, who did smile back and kiss him, while taking his hand off her bum.

"All right, so now lets move onto a topic we can all enjoy. Have you thought of what you're going to name her yet?" Tom asked.

Shelby smiled down at her daughter, moving the star blanket away from her little face."Rachel. Rachel is her name."

"My brown eyed girl." Derek added as the little girl settled down in his arms and sleep found her again.


End file.
